


Lone Beta

by Opiekuna



Series: Matchmaking is fun [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: (almost) everyone lives, Allison is dead, Derek Hale Deserves Nice Things, Derek Hale Loves Stiles Stilinski, Future Fic, Good Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Implied/Referenced Sex, Multi, Mutual Pining, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:35:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27326641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opiekuna/pseuds/Opiekuna
Summary: Derek stumbles across Scott in Botswana (who is searching for an omega werewolf) and it leads to him finally returning home. Because really, he just misses Stiles so where else would he go?
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jordan Parrish, Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Series: Matchmaking is fun [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2100588
Comments: 7
Kudos: 113





	Lone Beta

Derek is in Botswana when he meets Scott McCall again. It’s more than a little surprising – and not just because of the remote location. No, Derek is thrown because the rumour mill that reaches him even here states that the McCall pack has once more returned to Beacon Hills… yet Scott looks like he’s been in the country for some time, with no intention of leaving – something about saving some wolf or other. He wasn’t really listening in fairness, because his mind is reeling.

It’s just… what? Scott abandoned them all? Stiles, his dad and Jordan, Kira, Malia even his own betas Liam and the other one...Theo? He’s so lost in confusion in that moment that he barely registers Malia appearing at Scott’s side. He hugged his cousin almost on auto-pilot.

Derek just can’t wrap his head around it at all. Beacon Hills is literally a beacon these days and that’s down to Scott, Allison and Stiles – not that he could blame them when it was the only way for them to locate their parents. He doubted that anyone would. They knew there would be consequences of course, but they’d been willing to pay them – if they had known the havoc that the Nogitsune would wreak, perhaps they would have made Deaton find a different way, but there was no way of knowing now. Still though, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that someone who was supposed to be as good and pure as Scott was could just walk away from that responsibility, from his family and friends – from his pack.

He must have said something aloud to that effect as Scott shrugged. “They can handle things right now, Derek. There’s nothing major happening, plus the world is a lot smaller than it used to be. Botswana is just twenty hours away by plane and there are sixteen airports here. I’ll get back if they need me. Plus y’know, I wanna give Liam a chance to run a pack. He shows so much promise and I think he wants to go off on his own at some point. He’ll be fine with Mason and Cory and hey, even Theo now that he’s turned over a new leaf to keep him right – but most importantly, he has Stiles too.”

Derek is just…dumbfounded. No matter how tight a pack is, it needs its Alpha. Yet here’s Scott assuming that they will remain so close without him, allowing Liam to take over temporarily. and wasn’t Theo the one who tried to take over? New leaf or not, isn’t that a lot of temptation. Doesn’t he realise that people get tired and leave? Like Isaac left him? or Erica and Boyd tried to? Or does Scott trust so completely in their blind loyalty? 

Liam is definitely one of the strongest Weres he’s come across to date but he’s not leader material. From what he had heard of Mason, he could probably do it, but he’s not a werewolf, still just human like Stiles. But Liam? He’s no Scott! And Stiles… no matter how smart he is (and God, is he!), he’s still human. It’s not really his fight. It’s not fair to ask it of him, even if he would never willingly walk away. It’s not fair to put all this on him, it’s not – if it were up to Derek…

…but it’s not up to Derek of course.

Derek sighs and shakes the thoughts away – he needs to stop thinking and worrying about Beacon Hills and the pack he left behind. That’s not his place any more, it never really was. Not since her and the destruction she left in her wake, wiping out the majority of his family.

He has a life here – okay, it’s not particularly exciting but he has a job and a couple of friends… okay acquaintances…okay, work colleagues… people he pays to work with him. Whatever. He has a job and a life. Cora is here. Cora is his only family left. He needs to stay with her. He pushes down the image of a face speckled with moles, like constellations in the night sky, and honey brown eyes that just… no, he has a life here. Stiles has a life with Lydia and he will live it, with or without him there.

Oh, screw it. “So you’re not planning on heading back any time soon?”

Scott smiles a slightly detached smile that somehow makes Derek want to either smack him or bang his head against a wall. “Oh, of course man. Malia and I will both be going back.” He looked at Malia for confirmation and she just shrugged. “Probably at some point – it depends on Kira really and what she wants to do.” Scott smirked a little at that. “Where is she anyway?”

Malia grinned. “I think I wore her out. She said she’d meet us for lunch.” Derek blinked at that. Apparently Malia was in a relationship with Kira? Or maybe they both were. He blinked the thought away as he realised that Scott was talking again. “I can’t just limit myself to Beacon Hills all the time, Derek – there are people out there who need me, need my help to get through. I need to get the lost beta back to his pack, then there’s one in Northern Ireland too, then I’ll go back. Sure, I’m a bit worried but I’m sure that Liam and Stiles have it under control, and if they need us, we all have phones they can call us on. They’ll get through to at least one of us.”

God, Liam and Stiles in charge of Beacon Hills…

“He and Lydia came home then?” He really needs to stop thinking of Beacon Hills as home – it’s been years now. Six years even since he last saw Stiles.

Scott gave him the strange smile again that says it’s all so far in the past and nothing more than a distant memory to him. “Oh, he and Lydia aren’t together any more. Last I spoke to him, Jordan came back and that was all she wrote.” He shrugged. “Stiles said they were better as friends anyway and he was the one who ended it – he felt like Lydia was sticking with him more out of a sense of loyalty than anything else. She apparently didn’t put up much of a fight. Her loss though, right? I mean, he can be a lot at times, when he’s worked up, but there’s no one better. There’s someone out there who’ll just love him for all he is, right?” He shrugged and looked down at his watch. “Anyway, we have to go – the omega won’t find its way home without a nudge or two.” He looked at Malia. “Are you two coming with or..?”

Malia snorted. “Did that last time and it was boring. Kira and I are due some more alone time so you can go without us.” Derek was not going to ask, definitely not. Scott grinned and shrugged, gave Derek a hug followed by Malia and then Derek was alone.

Right.

Fuck.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Later, Derek stared blindly into the mirror as he got ready for bed, lost in thoughts: he had good reasons for leaving Beacon Hills. Just because Lydia broke up with Stiles and he’s on his own, doesn’t mean Stiles is suddenly gay or bi, does not mean Derek should go back. He really shouldn’t – he has a life here. He has a job and people who work for him.

But Stiles is on his own, and probably being driven crazy by everyone because the younger ones are probably torturing him for information and advice, given that he is one of the oldest now and so ridiculously smart. He is probably staying up to all hours to research, even when there isn’t a threat in town. He smiles a little at the idea of Stiles being the responsible one – wonders if it’s driving him crazy at all.

He just wants Stiles to be happy – something it’s hard to believe that he could be when Lydia dumped him, given that he was in love with the young woman for years. Maybe he if he went home, he could help ease any suffering he’s feeling. Given how long he loved Lydia before he made his move, Derek probably would have at least a good six months with him before he found someone else, right?

Six months of Stiles would be worth it, even if he is depressed and broken. Because it’d be six months of Stiles and maybe without Scott there hogging his attention (or Lydia), he would get more time with him. It wasn’t anwhere near what he wanted from Stiles and leaving him, or watching him fall in love again would kill him but six months…

…he can’t go. He has a job and a life and staff and a sister here.

But he can’t bear the thought of Stiles being heartbroken and alone, without anyone to talk to or take his mind off it all.

On and on the cycle goes …. Stay… go…stay…go…Stiles… Stiles… Stiles…

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Derek lasted two weeks – or rather Cora did. He had told her what was going on and even though he didn’t bring it up again, he clearly wasn’t really there. Two weeks of worrying about the pack being without their alpha and maybe unprotected, minimal sleep and a lot of pacing and racing thoughts and Cora snapped and presented him with a one-way ticket. “Sort it out one way or another Der-bear.” 

His sister smiled and ruffled his hair. “You know as well as I do that this isn’t in your home. It’s always been Beacon Hills, even after everything.” She eyed him when he tried to interrupt, her expression reminding him so much of Laura that it made his heart ache for a moment. “I’m fine right here and I’ll love you no matter how far apart we are – it’s not that far anyway. I was reliably informed that there are sixteen airports here and it’s only twenty hours away from Beacon Hills.”

Derek flushed a little and she pulled him into a hug. “If you need me though, you call me, got it? I’ll come running.” She rolled her eyes. “Or well, flying and a taxi, but yeah. There’ll always be a place here with me if you need it but, your heart isn’t here, Derek. You should go back to it – to him.” Derek sighed and hugged his sister close.

So he was doing this.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Stiles had a plan when he was younger. It was simple and brilliant – he was going to finish school, marry Lydia then join his father as a deputy to look after Beacon Hills, then when his father retired, he would take over as sheriff or at least continue to be someone else’s deputy.

Then Scott got bit and everything changed. Everything. That had to include his plans. He still intended to marry Lydia (occasional thoughts of at least half-naked Derek irrelevant), but instead of following his dad’s career path, and bearing in mind how much trouble Scott’s dad caused for them every time he showed up, he decided to join the FBI, get official training so he could protect the pack and then return to Beacon Hills. It made too much sense really – he was good at the stuff that would make it work, and he could protect the pack in his own human way. It was a win/win.

Except that he wasn’t the only one to leave – everyone left but the younger members of the pack who weren’t old enough yet. Even Scott. Stiles couldn’t decide if that was good or not – sure, a true alpha not being in Beacon Hills kept some of the supernatural away but not all – because there was still the pull of the Nemeton to consider after all. Plus Scott was effectively walking around with a large target on his back and only Kira and Malia to protect him (although, that was good protection to be fair).

Plus Jordan came back. Talk about UST! He wasn’t even that pissed about it. Bummed maybe, because after all those years pining, he finally had Lydia and they were good together – the full package. At least on paper. Thing was, something was missing. 

(He didn’t think about dark hair and kaleidoscope eyes, he didn’t.)

So that was over and he was on his own and it was fine. He was doing fine by himself with his dad and his new girlfriend Joyce for company. Apparently she had two daughters about his age but he had yet to meet them. It was something to look forward to, he supposed.

\---

Boyd and Erica were the first to return – Erica just rocked up to his door and informed him that they had tracked a group of rabid vampires here. The three of them (his dad sat that one out – vampires were just a step too far apparently and he had a date with Joyce that night anyway) took care of the problem (garlic did shit, ditto Crosses but claws and a wooden stake - or a wooden crossbow bolt in his case - worked just fine) then the two just didn’t bother to leave. They moved into his dad’s spare room, got jobs and started paying rent and everything seemed fine. Good even.

Lydia called out of the blue a few months later, told him that she and Jordan were married and asked (asked!) permission to return to Beacon Hills. Stiles sighed and rubbed his face. “Lydia, this is your home too. Of course you can both come back. I wouldn’t stop you, even if I was angry at you both. Come home.” So they did. He was fairly confident that she would be running the town in a few short years, with Jordan back to deputising or as a trophy husband – whichever worked for them both.

Sometimes he hated Scott for leaving Beacon Hills, even if he wasn’t really gone all that long – staying away just long enough to track and return werewolves to their packs - or finding them new ones if necessary. Everyone seemed to leave him really – his mom, Scott, the younger members of the pack who had gone off to college (even Theo, who with a lot of help from Stiles and Mason managed to get good enough grades) and were probably going to settle far from Beacon Hills, Derek…

Still, it was fine. 

He was fine.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

It was about six months after that when his Dad sat him down – he informed him that he and Joyce were serious and wanted to move in together. Which was fantastic news obviously – he was thrilled for them both. A little terrified when he was handed the deeds of the house because apparently it was going to be his one day anyway and Claudia’s life insurance had paid off the mortgage a ways back. He met the daughters but they didn’t seem too bothered, happy thwt their mother had met someone decent but too busy with their own lives to deal with a new brother and that was fine, really.

Stiles, Boyd and Erica spent a good week redecorating and moving furniture about to make it feel like a new start for them all, the duo continued to pay rent and honestly it was great – he got to stay with Pack, had his own home and a job he enjoyed (even if it wasn’t the FBI job he had trained for, the office job paid well and allowed him to leave it behind at night which was good).

Less than a year later, Isaac rocked up to the door and just never left. He seemed happy enough to sleep on the couch but Stiles was seriously considering texting Derek to ask if they could move into the loft but then word reached him from someone at the office that the town officials had decided to put the Hale land up for auction because apparently it was an eyesore and they wanted it tidied up. The thought that someone would buy it and build over the old house made all their skins crawl.

The first thing he did was to call Derek but of course it went unanswered. Derek showed up a couple of days later and just stared at the land as he stood beside Stiles. He let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t…” He glanced briefly at Stiles then reached into his pocket and pulled out a signed, blank cheque. “Here… I signed it. Pay whatever they want but I can’t stand the thought of someone else building over it. It’s… you can. For the pack. But just …not the house, okay? Remove the debris but please just leave it. Plant some trees there maybe.”

Stiles was surprised later that he didn’t die right then and there from the intense pain in his heart – because that was it. The final goodbye. He nodded and even managed to give Derek a hug before he went. That was better than the last time he left, he supposed.

The town sold the land cheap enough, just wanting rid of the eyesore that they considered to be a blot on the land. The only stipulation was that they removed the house debris as soon as possible.

Stiles spoke to his dad and asked for permission to sell the house, to use the money to create something new on the Hale land. He ignored the look that Noah gave him that he was sure said that Stiles was stuck in the past and focused on the fact that his father agreed, as long as there was a room kept for him and Joyce to come visit them, and a place for Buffy and Dawn to crash if they ever needed. Well, he planned to have rooms for both Cora and Derek (just in case) so what were two more?

Isaac actually created the blueprints for the house – a three storey (basement, main floor and living quarters, plus an attic that could be converted later) house that they all pooled their money into, doing most of the work to make it a reality. They managed even to find more money to pay Deaton to add protective runes throughout the house, warding against fire and other such threats. Turned out that Stiles’ spark would be strong enough to maintain them so it was all good. Stiles took photos of each stage and forwarded them to Derek, receiving only a thumbs up in response.

One drunken night, he texted and asked if Derek wanted him to stop pestering him with texts. Derek replied slower than he usually did, the phone showing that he was typing then not, then typing…  
D: Don’t be an idiot, Stiles. If I didn’t want to hear from you, I’d have changed my number by now.  
S: Nah, I’d just stalk you until I found you again, you know this.  
S: Plus you’d miss me.  
D: Are you drunk?  
S: Little bit. Isaac and Erica are worse though – she did the thing with wolfsbane. Boyd is giving the two of them that look he stole from you.  
D: What’s the occasion?  
S: Erica is mourning the loss of her favourite leather jacket – the pixies stole it.  
D: … actual pixies?  
S: I think so. Could have been goblins. Or children dressed as goblins.  
D: Give her my condolences.  
S: Will do. What colour should I paint my room?  
D: Blue’s a good colour. Or black.  
S: Like your soul? :P  
D: Funny.  
S: I try.  
S: Green. Or maybe green. Like apple green. Or moss green. Or emerald green maybe? Nah, that’d be too bright. I Dunno. I’m gonna paint Scott’s room bright pink with yellow spots.  
D: :D Sounds good. Throw in some nice lime green too.  
S: YOU ARE A GENIUS!  
D: Duh!  
D: Go to bed, Stiles. Don’t forget to take some water and tablets if necessary.  
S: Yes mom.  
D: Night Stiles.  
S: Night Der. X  
When he read over that first exchange the next morning afternoon, Stiles decided not to think too hard about the X at the end of his message. Yeah, that totally didn’t happen.  
S.T.E.R.E.K.  
Erica and Boyd decided to paint their room lilac. Only Isaac was brave enough to say that he had expected her to paint it black ‘like her soul’. Erica gasped and attacked him, tickling him mercilessly. Between tortured breaths, he begged Boyd to control his woman. Boyd just snorted and walked out of the room, a small smile on his face.

Stiles settled on a shade which somehow seemed to be either green or blue depending on how the light hit. It just made him feel happy.

Isaac painted his room bright pink as a joke but was annoyed when no one helped him paint over it. It took three coats to turn the room into a more bearable cream colour. Stiles was fairly confident that there was more paint on Isaac than there was on the walls. When Derek received the picture, his reply was one of Cora in absolute peels of laughter, clutching her stomach and trying to breathe. Isaac grinned at that. “Worth it.”

Lydia turned up at some point and insisted that the kitchen should be in neutral colours with one statement wall. She thought that a subtle grey paint would be better. Erica vetoed that of course and painted it all florescent orange. Stiles was fairly certain they all now would require sunglasses to walk into the room.

D: Well, perhaps it’ll stop you all getting drunk  
S: Ha! Wrong – I’ll just grab all my snacks and hide it in my room if I’m drinking.  
D: :D You could paint over it  
S: Would YOU cross Erica.  
D: Valid point.  
D: Given that you also can’t cross Lydia, I recommend you run away. Botswana is good this time of year.  
S: Why Botswana?  
D: First place that came to mind.  
S: You’re in Botswana, aren’t you?  
D: …Cora’s boyfriend lives here.  
S: Do you like it?  
D: It’s fine.  
S: Such high praise! :P  
D: Shut up.  
S: Ooh, are you gonna threaten to rip my throat out with your teeth if I don’t? XD  
D: Stiles… >:-(  
S: are you…did you seriously give me murder eyebrows by text? You are truly a god among men/werewolves. :D:D:D:D  
D: Go to bed, Stiles.  
S: :D k. Night Der.  
D: Night Stiles. Sleep well.

Yep, just friendly texts that meant nothing really…

Derek needed to stop. This was stupid and just going to hurt him because Lydia.

D: Saw this and thought of you. (random video of a man dancing badly)  
S: Sourwolf, you have hurt my feelings. I would never be seen in that shirt.  
D: Pretty sure I saw a similar coloured one hanging in your room once.  
S: That was a darker shade of blue and orange – his is florescent.  
D: So much better.  
S: Glad you agree.  
S: How’re you doing?  
D: Fine. Packing up. What about you?  
S: You’re moving? Because you told me where you were?  
D: No idiot. Cora bought me a ticket so it’s time to go.  
S: Oh. Well, be safe. Talk to you soon.  
D: Yep.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Stiles sighed as he sat down on the porch seat, alone as all the others were out doing couply things (Erica and Boyd) or scouting for threats (Parrish and Isaac) or off visiting/checking up on Liam and his pack (Lydia) and they had insisted that he sit back and relax, not completely healed yet from their latest run-in with the supernatural. He sighed and took another sip of his beer as he leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to do just that.

“I like what you’ve done with the place.”

Stiles was reaching for his trusty bat even as he jumped from fright (which was not at his side because Erica confiscated it, to ensure he would relax), when he finally registered the voice of the speaker. “Derek.” He bolted up and over, ignoring the pain to hug the other man before he could even offer another word. “Is something wrong?”

Derek shook his head as he wrapped his arms around Stiles, unable to resist. “Nope, not that I know of anyway. I just… wanted to come home.”

Stiles eyes widened as that registered and he pulled back to stare at Derek. “You’re STAYING?”

Derek flushed and the tips of his ears turned red. “If there’s room.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and laughed as he hugged Derek again. “You already know there’s a room for you, Der. It’s even painted a nice shade of pale blue.”

Derek did not want to let Stiles go. He was in serious trouble.

Stiles pulled back, a soft smile on his face before he grinned and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside. “Let me give you the tour. The kitchen’s still orange though so be prepared for that. Lydia didn’t get to call it in the end because she doesn’t live here – hers and Jordan’s place is all tastefully beige or cream or some version or white or y’know dull and boring.”

Derek frowned and stopped walking, causing Stiles to stop too because there wasn’t really any moving a werewolf who didn’t want to go anywhere. “I’m sorry – about you and Lydia. That must have hurt.”

Stiles turned and looked at him, a frown appearing on his face for a second before he shrugged it off. “It’s fine but thanks man. It wasn’t really what either of us wanted in the end.” He tugged at Derek’s hand again and they moved on.

Twenty minutes later saw them standing in his new room – a gorgeous space that wasn’t as big as some of the other rooms but which faced the same direction as his old room had – plus it wasn’t too far away from Stiles’ room. It was indeed painted a nice shade of blue. Stiles had apologised but said that he wanted to make sure that the paint smell was gone in case he did come back.

He was just coming out of his walk-in closet when Stiles appeared with sheets and pillows for the bed. Stiles raised a brow at that but said nothing. “You thought of everything, huh?”

“The design is all Isaac, I assure you. e’s the one who went off and studied Architecture in his spare time.”

“He did a good job – you all did. I like everything about this house.”

Stiles smiled at that and set the bed linen down, holding out the sheet to him so they could put it on the bed. “I’m glad you approve.”

Derek smoothed his hand over the sheet, making it as perfect as he could. “It’s good to be back. I know I’m not pack any mo-”

Stiles glared for a moment. “You have never stopped being pack, Derek. Even if you got a new one wherever you’ve been, you’re always welcome here. Always.”

Derek blinked then smiled. “I don’t have another pack.”

“Oh. But you said Cora…”

He shrugged. “Cora has a new pack. I stayed with her and her partner but, I’m not their pack. It never felt right.” He reached for the top sheet that Stiles was holding and frowned as he fitted it onto the bed – making a bed together made Derek feel like they were an old, married couple.

Fuck, what was he doing here? Was he trying to break his own heart?

Stiles beamed at him when they finished and he didn’t need any more of an answer. He smiled back, sighed and flopped down on the bed.

Stiles laughed with delight “That was the most ungraceful thing I have ever seen you do.”

Derek just grunted and straightened so his full body was on the bed. Without giving himself time to overthink, he pulled Stiles down beside him. “Stay.”

Stiles blinked then shrugged and burrowed into him, getting comfortable and definitely ignoring the deep blush on his face. “I suppose you can’t do this with Cora and her partner.” He smirked at the look that Derek gave him, even as he wrapped his arms around him, shifting ever closer. “Sleep Der.”

He did. Falling asleep with Stiles in his arms was easy as pie.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Derek had only meant to stay long enough to ensure that Stiles and the rest were doing okay. He did. That was definitely the plan.

Well no, there was no point lying to himself – that had never been the plan. That was the official plan that he told Cora. His sister hadn’t really believed that any more than he had though.

The problem was the pack – they were all just so warm and welcoming, happy to have him back among them. It almost felt like he had never left, except he was a little less broken than he had been, more willing to open up. Time away had been good for that at least. God it was sinfully easy to fall back into this pack.

He helped them train, went scouting for trouble with them, went shopping for food with Stiles and joined pack nights regularly and was always surrounded by people who were happy to nuzzle and scent him and God, it felt so much like home.

God help him, he wanted this – all of this. The play fighting, the video nights, making and eating food, sitting around the table to eat, seeing Boyd and Erica so happy together, seeing Isaac happy and content with life as he juggled being an adult werewolf and architect, the laughing and tears, the arguments and cuddling, Stiles, sitting together in a room to read, Stiles somewhere nearby, cuddling with Stiles, the feeling of being a happily married old couple with Stiles, a bunch of unruly children running around the house. (even more so when during breaks, Liam, Theo, Mason, Cory and even Hayden would show up again, affirming their intention to come home to Beacon Hills when school was done).

….so of course Scott came back to take it all away.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Scott appeared on his motorcycle two years and a bit after Derek saw him in Botswana and everything changed – suddenly everything felt like he was a trespasser. This wasn’t his pack at all and Scott’s appearance made that crystal clear – he had been here a week and had monopolised the majority of Stiles’ time and Derek was pining again.

He supposed he should be grateful – he had expected to get six months and that would have been a blessing. Two years with Stiles was… it was everything, memories to truly treaure even years from now when he was old and grey.

He should go.

He should really go.

The way that Scott rocked up and immediately took charge, ordering people about (including Stiles) had his hackles rising.

But this was Scott’s pack. He had the right – they all gave him that right. Derek was the trespasser here.

Fuck.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

Scott had been back a week and things were still shit. He hardly saw Stiles – Scott was monopolising all of his time.

Derek was lonely. He was lonely and pining worse than ever for someone that had never been and would never be his. Sure, the younger ones and his ex-betas still sought him out to help train but it all felt a bit hollow now.

It all came to a head that night after a skirmish with the same bloody pixie tribe they had tangled with the year previous. Normally when something like that went down, the pack would end up together, snuggling up. Needing confirmation of life or something like that. Usually they all came to Derek’s room. That night, he heard them all make their way to Scott’s room.

Derek sighed and closed his eyes tight and turned his back to the door, trying to pretend that he didn’t hear them, didn’t feel excluded. 

Two minutes later, his door opened and Stiles walked in. He navigated his way over to the bed by the light of the moon. He reached for Derek’s hand and for a moment Derek felt like ignoring him, not wanting to be pulled into a puppy pile in the other room but it was Stiles and he could refuse him nothing. He sighed and put his hand into the other’s.

Stiles smiled and pulled at Derek until he was sitting up, legs out over the edge of the bed. “I’ve been talking a lot lately with Scott – or rather, he’s spent the last few days trying to build up my courage for me.”

Derek tilted his head to the side, confused. “Courage?” Stiles was the bravest human he had ever met. What could make him lack courage?

Stiles nodded and took a deep breath then reached down and gently pushed Derek’s legs apart, sliding into the gap so he was closer. “Yep.”

Before Derek could ask anything else, Stiles slid his hand over Derek’s jaw, fingers sliding under his chin to push gently so that Derek was looking at him. He then leaned in and brushed his lips against Derek’s.

“Stiles?” His hands lifted to rest on Stiles’ arms to ground himself, make sure that Stiles was real, or make sure he couldn’t leave – take your pick because Derek couldn’t say which, if any, was right. Maybe they all were.

Stiles rolled his eyes, a blush forming on his face, “I’ve wanted to do that since the first time I saw you. Well, that and more. Mainly the kissing to start though. I didn’t think I would still be rambling this much after though. Figured you’d either kiss me properly afterwards or I’d be dead. I guess it’s good that it’s not the second-” Derek shut him up by grabbing his shirt and pulling him to him. When Stiles was close enough, he kissed him, putting everything into it, just in case this was all nothing but a dream.

S.T.E.R.E.K.

When Derek got up in the morning, Scott was in the kitchen already making coffee. He took one look at the older man and grinned. “He finally did something. I’m glad.”

Derek stared at him. “Wait.. you knew?”

“That he’s been in love with you for years and years? Yeah, I kinda picked up on that. I didn’t know you loved him too though. Not until Botswana anyway. I guess you hid it because of Lydia but damn, I wish you hadn’t. He never really loved her. Or, he did but, it wasn’t like he loves you. You’re his everything.”

Derek stared at the Alpha for a moment, bewildered then it hit him. “Did you find the missing wolf in Botswana?”

Scott grinned. “You’re here, aren’t you? Total success.”

“You could have just told me.”

“Would you have believed me?”

Derek snorted and pulled Scott into his arms for a hug, another part of him finally settling too, one he hadn’t even realised he was missing. He was home now, finally. “Thank you.”

A few moments later, a sleepy Stiles walked in, pouting a little. “You trying to steal my man, McCall?”

Scott laughed and released Derek, Stiles immediately taking his place with a contented sigh (or was that Derek?). “Dumbass.” Scott grinned and ruffled Stiles’ hair before getting a cup of coffee for a sleepy Isaac who had stumbled into the room.

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my niece G. who is one of the best people on this planet! She got me into watching Teen wolf during quarantine and I just have so many feelings about this show. (Gerard needs to go die in a ditch with his scummy daughter -keeping it PG folks, then spend eternity in hell) This is the first thing I have written in far too many years but yeah, I WROTE SOMETHING!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the characters or anything associated with either show


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